May 17 (BTA) - An order of caretaker Health Minister
Stoycho Katsarov issued on Monday introduces changes to the
current organization of mass vaccination against COVID-19 in
Bulgaria. Mondays to Thursdays are now reserved for the
inoculation of older persons and people with chronic health
conditions (ischemic heart disease, chronic kidney disease,
diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, chronic respiratory diseases
and oncological diseases, or other health conditions by the
doctor's decision). Everyone else can get a jab in the order of
their online immunization registration on Fridays, Saturdays,
and Sundays, the Ministry's press service reported.

Everyone can get vaccinated free or charge either by their
general practitioner or at the existing vaccination centres
across Bulgaria.

Until now, any adult wishing to get inoculated could do so any
day of the week (subject to vaccine availability) by their
general practitioner, at a vaccination centre following an
online registration, or at a medical health establishment
offering the so-called green lane for vaccination without prior
registration.

The Health Minister's order also changes the manner in which
general practitioners (GPs) obtain doses of COVID-19 vaccines
for their patients. In the next two months, GPs will be
receiving vaccines at logistics stations, instead of at the
corresponding regional health inspectorate.

Starting Tuesday, the inspectorates across Bulgaria have to
determine the logistics stations on the territory of each
municipality and, when necessary, in remote settlements. The
inspectorates are obliged to deliver to these stations the
number of vaccine doses requested by the GPs.

General practitioners have to provide the inspectorates with
lists of persons with reduced mobility and persons living in
remove or hard-to-reach areas who wish to get inoculated, so
that the inspectorates can organize mobile vaccination teams.

In a video released by the Health Ministry's press service later
on Monday, Katsarov says that the percentage of older persons
and people with chronic diseases who have been inoculated
against COVID-19, is very low. Vaccination is the only way to
limit the spread of the coronavirus and reduce the mortality
rate, and everyone can see that in the indices of the countries
which have vaccinated a large part of their populations, he
says, adding that Bulgaria is at the bottom of the EU in this
respect as well.

"I know that many doubt the vaccines' safety; I, too, have had
my reservations due to the short period and scale of the
clinical trials," he notes. In his words, it is a fact that the
vaccines have been administered to millions of people, and the
side effects are exceptionally low in number. "We have already
paid high enough a price: in the last six months alone, the
fatalities were by 26,000 more than in the same period of the
year in each of the last five years, and 80 per cent of those
who died from COVID were aged over 60," Katsarov says in the
video.

He stresses that the danger has not yet passed and that no one
can guarantee the coronavirus will not return.

Following an extraordinary meeting of the caretaker cabinet
later on Monday, Health Minister Katsarov said that the
Government had decided to join the European Commission's
contract with Pfizer/BioNTech on the provision of their vaccine
for the EU in 2022 and 2023. Enough doses of this vaccine will
be provided for the entire population, he specified.

In relation to the supply of protective masks and disinfectants
for the snap elections in July, Katsarov said that according to
his Ministry's assessment, the anti-epidemic procedure at the
April 4 general elections had not been the best possible one.
Some election commissions received their personal protective
equipment on April 5, he noted. Therefore, in July the
equipment's delivery will be organized by the regional
governors, and not by the Health Ministry.

Katsarov went on to say that there probably will be personnel
changes in the sector. Checks will be conducted in the
Alexandrovska University Hospital and other medical treatment
facilities and based on the results, it will be decided whether
changes in their leadership will be made.

Whether there will be a COVID-19 national task force will be
decided by the Prime Minister, Katsarov said in reply to a
question, but added that in view of the management of the covid
situation, such a task force is not necessary.

The Health Minister also said that the decision on a possible
extension of the state of epidemic emergency beyond May will be
taken in the coming days. Two aspects will be taken into
consideration: the medical aspect and the question of financial
support to businesses, he added.

***

Former health minister Kostadin Angelov commented on Facebook and then before journalists on Monday's order of caretaker Health Minister Katsarov. According to Angelov, the order will compromise the speed of the mass vaccination and will
delay the achievement of herd immunity. Angelov is firmly against the closure of the green lanes for vaccination.

He described as untrue Katsarov's statement that vaccinated over-60-year-olds amount to only 20 per cent. They number over 500,000, Angelov argued.

NV, RI/DS


/ДЛ/